Welp. Here I am. Not in France yet, but closer than I’ve ever been before. I’m sitting in London Heathrow, waiting for the afternoon to arrive so I can board a plane to Marseille, a city a half-hour from Aix. London Heathrow is a familiar yet unfamiliar void, filled to capacity with crowds and shops and consumerism, but the shop names are all new to me. I recognize Harrod’s and the Sunglass Hut straight ahead, but it’s odd to look around and not immediately see a Chili’s within walking distance.
Leaving my family yesterday was definitely the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. I hope I’ve made the right decision, studying in Aix for four whole months, because right now, I feel like I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. Going to school in EUROPE??? For FOUR MONTHS???? Choosing a life away from your family and friends – the only people who actually LIKE you – to interact with complete strangers who won’t even speak the same LANGUAGE as you??? Who does that??? What was I thinking?
I meet my host family today, as well as my housemate. My one wish in my housing application (well, besides my fancy of living with a family who owns a cat) was that I’d be with a family who would accept me as I am, social anxiety and really really really terrible French and all. I think if I can find that comfort, maybe I won’t be as scared as I am now.